Mud and oil stripper



C. B. REYNOLDS MUD AND OIL STRIPPER Filed April 7, 1922 Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES CHARLES IB. REYNOLDS, F WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA.

MUD AND OIL STRIPPER.

Application filed April 7,

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Whittier, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mud and Oil Strippers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to deep well apparatus.

In the drilling of deep wells and particularly oil and gas wells there is run down into the well hole a lining, commonly called the casing, and within this there reciprocates the various tools utilized for the several purposes of drilling, pumping and bailing. The drilling apparatus varies according to two generally popular systems, one of which includes reciprocating drill rods generally solid by which the cutting bits are raised and lowered to impinge upon the formation at the foot of the well, while the other form of drilling tool employs a rotary rig ordinarily including the tubular rotating element to the lower end of which are secured rotary cutters. As a well is sunk, the tools are frequently pulled and other tools as bailing apparatus are inserted, and all of these various operations subject the head portion of the casing to more or less hard wear, and to prevent this a protecting guard in the form of a sleeve is applied to the head members of the casing and ordinarily is termed the bell.

During drilling, either with standard or rotary tools, and during bailing, and during the pulling of the tubing and rods, these bring up with them considerable masses of well mud, sand and oil which is scattered about generally upon the derrick platform and upon the workers and adjacent paraphernalia to the serious objection of the workers and detriment of the apparatus generally.

The broad object of my present invention is to provide a method and means for sub stantially cleaning or stripping oif the mud, sand and oil from the elements as they are pulled from the well, and further to provide means for accomplishing this in a simple, practicable and inexpensive manner.

One embodiment of the invention is herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section showing the head structure of the 1922. Serial No. 550,283.

well easing with which the apparatus is combined to secure the removal of the detritus from the tubing, pipes and other parts being drawn from a well.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of device incorporating the invention.

My invention is capable of being employed in various adaptations and arrangements and with various forms of casing installations. In the present organization the head portion 2 of a well casing is shown in which is introduced a T or other connection 3 having a lateral discharge 4: for the usual purpose of discharging the mud, sand and oil brought up during the sinking of a'well. Upon the upper end of the cas ing 2 there is shown a head collar 5 as threaded upon the exterior of the casing, and to this there is attached a protecting member in the form of a sleeve 6 threaded into the collar 5 as at 7. The upper end of the protecting sleeve 6 is flared outwardly in a bell like manner as at 8; this element 6 is commonly called in well districts the b ll Operating within the casing 2 and within the hell 6 1s an element 10 which may be considered a drill rod for the purposes of this invention, and when this drill rod is pulled from the well it brings up with it a quantity of adhering oil, mud and sand according to the condition in the well. As above alluded to the adhering substance becomes scattered over the workmen and over the surrounding apparatus keeping the head works in very unsatisfactory condltion.

To prevent this state of affairs, my present invention broadly consists in means for subjecting the elements being pulled from the well to a scouring or stripping action which may be accomplished by the utilization of steam, air or water under desired pressure directed toward the drill rod or other element being pulled.

A simple form of device for practicing this stripping action is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein a tubular collar 11 in the form of a piece of pipe or other piece is arranged around the hell 6 and is perforated at 12 at suitable intervals on its inner surface contiguous to the engaged surface of the bell 6; the collar 11 being appropriately fastened as by welding indicated at 13.

The bell 6 is perforated by downwardly inclining apertures 14; registering with the apertures 12 of the supply collar or ring 11 to which a fluid under pressure may be supplied through a supply pipe 15 connected to any suitable source of fluid under pressure.

From this it will be seen that the downwardly and inwardly converging streams or jets issuing from the ports 14 lmpinge upon the surface of the part or drill rod 10 being pulled and therefore scour or strip off the adhering substance which is thrown down in the upper portion of the casing 2 to be car ried out with the outflowing substance through the discharge branch 4.

A modified form of device is shown in Fig. 3 in which a collar 5 is provided with an integral annular chamber 5 from which leads downwardly inclined ports 14. It will be seen that this collar 5 may be substituted for the standard collar in the casing line.

It will also be understood that the converging jets of fluid may be introduced into the casing at any desired point therein, preferably though above the discharge branch 4.

By this method the tools and elements being drawn from the well can bescoured and the head works and workers will be maintained in a clean state because of the prevention of the scattering of the substance adhering ordinarily to the parts as they are pulled from the casing.

Various chan es and modifications may be made without eparting from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of stripping adhering loose substance from operating parts as they 3. A device for facilitating the stripping off 'of loose adhering substance from parts being pulled from a well casing, comprising an annular member attachable to the casing and through which the parts to be stripped are pulled, said device having a plurality of oblique apertures for downwardly discharging converging streams of fluid under,pres

sure upon the parts as they are pulled.

4. In combination with a well casing, means attachable to the casing and having parts for projecting streams of fluid downwardly and convergently under pressure against the surface of the parts being pulled so as to clean the same.

5. A part for attachment to a well casing and provided with an annular chamber and oblique, convergent ports from said chamber leading through the casing for directing convergent streams of fluid under pressure upon the surface of the part being pulled from the casin In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

C. B. REYNOLDS. 

